01.09.2008: Correction?
Recently, I wrote a piece for Wired magazine about some of the changes in the music business from an artist’s point of view (see article here). Amongst other things, I laid out a variety of possible distribution models, while also claiming that the lower price of recording these days leaves artists less dependent on record labels to bankroll the studio costs than in the past.
I was called on this latter claim by two folks — curiously, they’re both Canadian. Here are some excerpts from the email exchange.
From Issa (formerly Jane Siberry, who did a pay what you wish offer for her recording a couple of years ago):
“Make records for almost nothing? I suppose. I’m already at 40K and I'm keeping it extremely lean. Just working with an engineer in a hotel room at $300 a day for him. And I still have to sing and mix. I really don't think I could do it for less.”
My reply:
"Yeah, you're right. I exaggerate. I could make a record here in my home demo studio for nothing, but I haven’t yet. Yes, I too pay an engineer when I’m recording other singers, other musicians and adding strings or mixing and the costs add up."
From Howard Bilerman (who played with Arcade Fire and is now an engineer/producer and co-owns the hotel2tango studio in Montreal):
“While it's true that the laptop recording setup made self-produced recordings worlds easier than before, the simple truth is that laptops alone don't make records. First off, there is the peripheral equipment needed...microphones, stands, cables, pre-amps, sound cards, headphones, speakers, hard-drives, instruments, etc. And while the cost of the aforementioned has cascaded in the past decade, a complete and flexible home studio setup still comes at a price. Then, of course, there is the issue of know-how — recording skills and technique — two incredibly important factors in making a decent sounding recording, and two things that don't come "with the laptop". Lastly, there is mastering, currently hovering (at the low end scale) at around $750-$1,000. Even these moderate costs can make recording out of reach for many bands.
All tolled, in addition to the laptop, a band is looking at between $5,000 - $10,000 in extra costs just to have the ability to record themselves (I am talking about having enough equipment to record a four-piece band live with enough channels to mic a drum-kit). Yes, there are alternatives, rental being one of them. But, that still doesn't account for the skills and technique part of the equation. The only analogy that comes to me is, you can buy a cheap pair of scissors at every corner store, but that doesn't mean everyone (wants to or) should be out there cutting their own hair."
My reply:
You’re the second person to correct me on this issue. I confess that I myself haven’t been able to make a record for “nothing”, and I’m improving as an engineer. I still add stuff in a proper studio and have someone else mix it. As you said, it’s valuable to have other ears involved and I have no interest in learning how to do everything DIY. And yes, I have invested in some gear over the years — not a whole studio (I can’t record drums or anything), but a computer, a pre-amp, a couple of good mics and some software. So yeah, about 10k right there.
But I’m getting close, depending on the record. I’m working on one now and the cost is way lower than it would have been. So I haven’t had to go to a record company, for example, to cover the costs. And, in general, though I exaggerated too much in the Wired piece, the costs have indeed come down dramatically — as you say the days of a regular band spending 100k are probably over.
Howard:
“The people who come through my studio most often are people in their very early twenties who find it hard to even cobble together enough $$$ for their rent and school, let alone any fancy recording equipment or a proper studio session. In these cases, I have seen bands take $7,000-$15,000 advances from labels, in exchange for their masters in perpetuity. It's pretty much low level crime, and certainly in those cases I WISH recording merely cost the price of a laptop. You are absolutely right...compared to 20 years ago, recording does indeed cost next to nothing. But, that still doesn't stop the industry from hoodwinking the kids for their own benefit. It makes me sad. Maybe we are on the cusp of a change?”
